


split (it won't recover)

by idkimoutofideas



Series: febuwhump 2021 [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, Team as Family, like the very end of the stolen century, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:28:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29157411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idkimoutofideas/pseuds/idkimoutofideas
Summary: Taako was fairly certain he was going insane. He sister had been missing for three months and he still couldn’t fucking find her.Written for Febuwhump day 2: I can't take this anymore
Relationships: Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides & Taako
Series: febuwhump 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154915
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	split (it won't recover)

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from 'Call Them Brothers' by Regina Spektor

Taako was fairly certain he was going insane. He sister had been missing for  _ three months _ and he still couldn’t  _ fucking _ find her. What was the point of learning all those spells if it didn’t help him find the only person that mattered to him?

“Hey.”

Taako didn’t jump. He just… almost threw a  _ Fireball _ at the person who walked onto the deck before he realized it was Magnus. It was late, the sky above him completely dark, and Taako realized suddenly that he’d been hunched over the table on the deck for several hours.

“Gods Mags, would it kill you to not sneak around like that?” Taako snapped. His words came out harsher than he intended, but he didn’t really care. He was tired and Lup was missing and he still  _ couldn’t fucking find her- _

“I wasn’t sneaking. You were sleeping.” Magnus replied.

“I was not!” Taako said indignantly. 

“Were too.”

“Was not! Elves don’t need to sleep.” Taako sood up from his chair and circled around to the other side of the table. Maybe if he looked at the map from another angle…?

Taako could tell Magnus was staring at him, with a look on his face like he wanted to say something, but eventually he just sighed and came to stand by Taako’s side.

“Any leads?” Magnus asked gently.

Taako pursed his lips and shook his head stiffly. “Barry was going to check out a place in, uh,” he grabbed the latest sheet of notes off the ever growing pile, “Neverwinter. But I don’t think-” Taako cut himself off, unable to complete the sentence.

Magnus moved closer until he was almost leaning against Taako’s side, offering comfort that Taako refused on principle. They stood for a while in silence, Taako staring dully at the map as if it could tell him where Lup went.

“I can’t take this anymore.” Taako’s words were barely a whisper, but the ship was quiet and he knew Magnus heard him. “I can’t- what if she’s gone? What if we never find her?” It was the first time he said those words aloud, not wanting to speak it into existence, even though they were all thinking it. But there, standing on the deck of the Starblaster, the ship that had been their home for 100 years, where Taako and Lup found a  _ family _ , he couldn’t help but think the worst.

“Don’t say that.” Magnus’ voice was rougher than usual.

“We’re all thinking it.” Taako snapped back.

“Taako- no. Lup is- she’s strong. And smart. And really really powerful. I’m sure she’s just…”

Taako let out a huff. “Then why the hell hasn’t she come back?” He pushed away from the table and stalked to the rail of the Starblaster. “If she’s ok then where the fuck is she?” He started pacing across the edge of the deck, and he could feel Magnus looking at him with an expression on his face that was way too close to pity. “This was the last stop! We’re not leaving again! She’s not going to pop back up on the Starblaster when we enter a new plane because this was it. This was- was-” Taako could feel his breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps, and there was a buzzing building in the back of his head.

“And what the fuck was the point of her becoming a lich? Like the whole reason they did that was so this situation wouldn’t happen! So even if she did die she would be able to come back but she isn’t back so where the  _ fuck _ is she?” There was something wet on his face, and he furiously tried to wipe it away, but the buzzing spread down his arms and into his hands and he couldn’t make himself move. “What if she’s gone and I didn’t- I never- I could’ve-”

At some point Taako stopped pacing, and his hands were now buried in his hair, pulling at it as if the stinging could bring him back to his body.

A strong pair of arms grabbed Taako and pulled him into a crushing hug. He didn’t have the energy to fight it, and turned his head so his face was buried, trying and failing to hide the sobs that wracked his body.

“I don’t know.” Magnus’ voice was a deep rumble, and in a hug this tight Taako could practically feel his chest vibrate. “I don’t know where she is. But Lup is strong and smart and can take care of herself, and if she does need our help then running yourself ragged isn’t going to do anything.” Magnus shifted so his chin was resting on top of Taako’s head. “Everyone is looking, and we  _ will _ find her. So just… take a break. A few hours of sleep won’t change anything.”

“Elves don’t need sleep.” Taako responded automatically, surprised to find his voice even worked.

Magnus chuckled lightly. “You still need to meditate.” He said, and Taako couldn’t argue with that. Not when he’d been awake for over three days straight. After a few minutes of standing there, Magnus shifted so one arm was wrapped around Taako’s shoulders, and for once he accepted the comfort. 

Lup was still missing, and no one would ever be as important to Taako as Lup, but Magnus, and Barry, and Merle, and Lucretia, and Davenport… they’d spent 100 years together. At this point they were family too. 

Taako came to his senses when he realized that Magnus had led them down to the sleeping quarters; he dug his heels into the ground and refused to take another step. 

“I can’t- our room I can’t-” Taako couldn’t get the words out, but Magnus understood him anyway, and led the two of them to his own room. Magnus let go of Taako as he swung the door open, Taako stood and stared blankly into the room as Magnus moved a few things around. Having realized Taako wasn’t moving, Magnus grabbed Taako and pulled him onto the bed until Taako was lying next to Magnus, his head on Magnus’ chest while Magnus had an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Taako stiffened at first, but the steady beat of Magnus’ heart was reassuring. 

Taako’s ear was pressed to Magnus’ chest, so he heard the rumbling first, and it took him a second to realize Mganus was humming. It was a lullaby. Quiet and off key, but Taako recognized it from their home. Against his better judgement, Taako could feel his eyes grow heavy, and soon enough he fell asleep.


End file.
